Motion-picture apparatus



ug. M, 1925.

Adovh Sinker and Ernesi E. [/hdfWOOd,

INVENTORS,

A TTORNEYS.

A. STUBER ET AL MOTION PICTURE APPARATUS Filed Jan. 1925 g ll gggg Patented Aug. 11, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

ADOIiPI-I STUBER AND ERNEST E. UNDERWOOD, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS T EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION O'F NEW YORK.

MOTION-PICTURE APPARATUS.

Application filed ianuary to provide such an arrangement in' which both film reels are readily accessible from the same side of the machine and in which one reel containing a store of sensitized material may be placed in position and partially protected from light while the film is being threaded through the machine and the other reel being positioned. Other objects will appear in the following description, reference being made to the accompanying draw ing in the several figures in which the same reference characters refer tothe same parts and in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a motion picture camera, with a part broken away, embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is a section of such a camera;

' Fig. 3 indicates the path of the film in such an apparatus.

In the illustrated embodiment of our invention, the apparatus is enclosed in a case 1 having a removable cover 2. In the present instance this cover constitutes one side of the casing and has flanges 3 overlapping a seat 4 in the main body of the casing. Longitudinally of the casing there is positioned a partition having a front fixed portion 5 and a rear portion 6 hinged at 7 and dividing the casing into two compartments 8 and 9. In the. compartment 8 formed between the fixed side wall 10 of the casing and the partition is mounted a shaft or seat 11 upon which a film reel 12 may be seated and be free to turn. In the bottom of this compartment is a spring 13 adapted to bear against the outer convolutions of material on the reel and having side 17, 1925. Serial No. 3,195.

wings 14 adapted to bear against the flanges of the reel when the material is partly un wound. This spring has only enough force spinning when the mechanism is stopped and preventing the convolutions of material from becoming loosened. The hinged par tition member 6 carries a. bearing member 15 upon which is revolubly mounted the stub shaft 16. This stub. shaft has a square portion, 16 adapted to engage a similar aperture in a reel 17 and having a driving connection therewith. A spring catch 18 is provided for each stub shaft.- Rigid with the stub shaft 16 is a driving pulley 19. The bearing member 15 has a rounded protuberance 20 extending from the inner side of the partition and adapted to engage the end'of stub shaft 11 and hold it from vibration.

The hinged portion 6 of the partition is held in closed position by the spring latch 21. The upper rear corner of portion 6 is cut out, as indicated at 22; and there is supported thereon by the bracket 23 a guide roller 24: extending through part of the opening, thus formed, in an angular position. The shape ofthe opening is shown as designed for the passage of the film with the parts in the relationship of the particular apparatus, but it could be varied within wide limits. An abutment limits the inward movement of the portion 6.

In the front portion of compartment 9 is a sprocket 25 having mounted therewith a driving pulley 26. An endless belt 29, here shown as a resilient coil spring, connects the driving pulley with pulley 19 and this passes through a guiding bracket 28 so that the belt will remain in pro-per position whether the'portion 6 is opened or closed. As indicated in Fig. 3, the film F will be drawn from the reel in compartment 8 over the guide roll 24, then over the sprocket 25. It is then passed through a suitable, gate by an intermittent mechanism, this portion not being shown but being Well known in the art,"and returned over the sprocket 25 to the take-up reel 17. Suitable guide rollers 27, shown only in Fig. 3, properly position it With respect to the sprocket 25.

"to act as a brake, preventing the reel from l In operation the film reel, which the user will purchase in a light tight package or magazine, will be removed from such magazine immediately before use and placed at once in the inner compartment 8, access to which is had by opening both the door 3 and the partition 6. The partition is at once closed, the end of the film being retained by the user and guided over the pulley 24. The reel. of sensitive film is now in a compartment which, while not light tight, is not directly open to'the sunlight. It has been found that in all forms of reeled sensitive material there is a tendency to edge fog and every possible precaution to prevent this is advantageous. While the film is reasonably well protected when on the reel by the usual protective lead strips, these must be at least in part unwound during the threading of the camera, and by placing the reel in the darkened inner compartment, the tendency to become edge fogged is much lessened.

The user can now thread the sensitive lead strip through the camera parts and upon the take-up reel, which will be positioned upon the shaft 16 upon the closed partition. Because of the reduced tendency to light fog, he "can take his time about this operation and not be impelled to exercise all possible speed through fear of the light affecting a reel of sensitive film in an exposed position.

It is to be understood that the usual mechanism and camera parts necessary in motion picture apparatus are to be used, but these are not shown, as they do not constitute a part of our present invention. It is further understood that this embodiment is by way of example and that we contemplate as within the scope of our invention, such modifications and equivalents as fall within the terms of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1 Motion picture apparatus comprising a casing, a movable partition in said casing and having closed and open positions, a part of the casing and the partition forming a compartment, a seat for a film reel in said compartment, said partition when open affording access to said compartment, and a seat for a film reel on the side of the partltlon away from said compartment.

2. Motion picture apparatus comprising a caslng, a partition in said casing having closed and open positions and, when closed, forming with the casing two compartments, one on each side thereof, adoor in the casing ,afiordmg access to one compartment, the door and partition, when open, together affording access to the other compartment, and tseats for film reels in said compartmen s.

3. Motion picture apparatus comprising a casing, a movable partition in said casing and having closed and open positions, a part of the casing and the partition forming a compartment, a seat for a film reel in said compartment, said partition when open afi'ording access to said compartment, a shaft revolvably mounted on the side of the partition away from said compartment, means in the casing for feeding film from a reel in the compartment to a reel on the shaft and means for turning said shaft to wind film on a reel positioned thereon.

4. Motion picture apparatus comprising a casing, a partition, at least a part of which is movable, in said casing and capable of being opened and closed, the casing and partition, when closed, forming first and second compartments, one on each side of the partition, seats for film reels in said compartments, means on the partition for guiding film from the first compartment to the second, means in the second compartment for advancing a film from said guiding means and returning it to a reel on the seat in said second compartment, a door in the casing afi'ording access to one of said compartments, and the door and partition, when open, together affording access to the other of said compartments.

5. Motion picture apparatus comprising a casing, a partition in said casing having closed and open positions and, when closed, forming with the casing two compartments, one on each side thereof, a door in the casing affording access to one compartment, and the door and partition, when open, together furnishing access to the other compartment, coaxial supports for film reels in the two compartments, the partition carrying one of the supports and also having an opening with an obliquely arranged guide for directing film from a reel in one compartment into the other compartment.

6. Motion picture apparatus comprising a casing, a movable partition in the casing and having open and closed positions, a part of the casing and the partition forming a compartment, a shaft in said compartment for nevolubly supporting a film reel, means on the partition to engage and secure said shaft when the partition is closed, a shaft on the other side of the partition for supporting a second film reel, and means for advancing and guiding a film from one reel to the other.

7 Motion picture apparatus comprising a casing with a door on one side wall, a longitudinal partition in the casing and forming two compartments therein, the rear portion of the partition being hinged and, having an opening and an obliquely arranged guide pulley in said opening, the door furnishing access to the first compartment and the door and hinged portion 0 the partition together furnishing access to the second oomreel in the second compartment and to a partment, means for rotatably supporting a reel onthe shaft and means for turning said film reel in the second compartment, a shaft shaft to wind film thereon. 1o

revolubly upported in the first mm art- Signed at Rochester, New York, this 14th 5 ment by the hinged portion of the partition, y f Ja u y, 1925- means in the first compartment for feed- I ADOLPH STUBER.

ing a film from the guide roll and from the ERNEST E. UNDERWOOD. 

